


Defying All Odds

by lookintomyeyebrows, NO_RAGRETS (Stupendous_Hippo)



Series: Betaverse [1]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alpha!Alfred, Alpha!Ludwig, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - College/University, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Beta!Arthur, Beta!Francis, Boarding School, Jealousy, M/M, Mpreg, Omega Verse, Omega!Feliciano, Omega!Matthew, Romance, defying all odds
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-17
Updated: 2016-12-30
Packaged: 2018-04-26 18:33:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5015617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lookintomyeyebrows/pseuds/lookintomyeyebrows, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stupendous_Hippo/pseuds/NO_RAGRETS
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Omegas were prized for their fertility. Alphas, for their brains and brawn. With no special traits, Betas were truly the group on the lowest rung of society.</p><p>In Belschmidt University, the two meet. Over time, the Beta named Arthur falls in love with a high-born Alpha, Alfred. However, the odds are stacked against him, as Alphas and Betas are not meant to be together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I finally decided to continue writing this fic after a crazy long hiatus. I am deeply apologetic to anyone who has been waiting for a continuation.
> 
> I ended up re-editing some of the previous chapters, so you may notice some minor differences if you've read this before; However, the storyline remains the same.

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***SKIP THIS PART IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO READ ABOUT HOW THE CLASSIFICATIONS CAME ABOUT***

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In the year 2088, one of the biggest scandals in worldwide history came to light. Multiple countries across the globe had collaborated on the almost unthinkable. It was revealed that groups of government scientists in each of the participating nations had been collaborating to conduct a large-scale genetic experiment. A genetic experiment on humans.

It all began in the year 2045, when the human birth rate reached an all-time low. Combined with a severe outbreak of H21N9 in 2046, the human population was quickly plummeting to dangerous levels. Panicking, the World’s leaders came to a hushed consensus. They agreed to begin the controversial experiment to save the human race. They began the notorious “Experiment X21”.

The premise of Experiment X21 was simple. Splice in foreign genes, from highly fertile animal species, into the human genome. The individuals borne from this experiment, a.k.a. “hounds”, that were deemed to have traits that would aid in the human birth rate, would then be slowly introduced into society. The characteristics the scientists were looking for were relatively subtle. Males with higher stamina and libido; and females that would go into heat every so often, much like a female dog would. Nothing noticeable externally, like having ears or tails, or so they thought.

The first round of experimental subjects was a huge success. The initial group of hounds, brought up in normal foster families, were raised to have values like monogamy deeply engrained. After all, having a group of virile young prostitutes was not the aim of the game. Upon reaching maturity, each test subject managed to find a human partner, whom with they continuously mated and had offspring with.

In 1979, the sweet success in the first round of experiments was the green light for a second round of genetically-modified humans to be created. The number of hounds in this second batch was increased ten-fold from the initial test group. Large facilities were constructed to house and care for these individuals, who seemed to be the saviors of the human race. Hounds seemed to be able to seamlessly assimilate into society without a hitch. Governments were pleased, as scientists speculated that the human population would soon make a full recovery. With more people needing to spend money, economies around the world would also experience a much-needed boost.

However, there was something that everyone failed to account for in their desperation to ensure the continuation of the human race. Sure. Hounds looked completely human on the outside. Aside from their increased sexual desire, or a period of plain horniness for the females (which could easily be chalked up to hormones), hounds also seemed to act completely like normal human beings. However, the year 2088 rolled around, and the offspring of the first hound-human couples were beginning to reach sexual maturity. It was then that the first case of a male going into heat exploded out to the media.

It was one thing to have a female become overly-aroused occasionally. It was completely unheard of to have a male suddenly become so achingly randy, with natural lubricant just short of pouring out of his ass. As more and more men around the world became afflicted with this “mysterious condition”, people started to ask questions. With the tenacious media dogs digging deeper and deeper to discover the truth behind these strange occurrences, it was only a matter of time till the true story came to light.

Needless to say, the whole world was enraged.

But, it’s funny how things work sometimes. Just as trials were being held in courts, to decide the fates of these “man-made abominations”, another new virus appeared; One that would truly ravage the human race.

Human delibidovirus (or HDLV), related to human herpesvirus, was a silent killer. HDLV was highly contagious, and easily transmissible through mere respiratory droplets. However, it did not kill in a way that anybody expected it to. In fact, world-wide, there had been no reported deaths from HDLV. Instead, HDLV patients had absolutely zero libido. HDLV seemed to render any sex-related hormones inactive. Even with artificial insemination, all infected females, without any of their usual ovulation cycle-regulating hormones, had their wombs shut-down by the virus. Their once-working baby ovens quickly became an inhospitable place for any young human to mature in. With the human birthrate literally at zero, everything ground to a halt as the human race realized that it was truly about to go extinct.

Amazingly, hounds and many of their offspring were immune to HDLV. It was a mere coincidence that in their experiments, the scientists had swapped out the part of the human genome that was necessary for HDLV infection. All too soon, a century had passed, and the last of the humans died out, leaving only the hounds they created behind.

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***CONTINUE READING FROM HERE IF YOU JUST WANTED TO SKIP OVER THE FAKE HISTORY LESSON***

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\---

As the centuries passed, the world rapidly morphed into a different planet. Hound ancestors, disliking the idea of being thought of as different beings, had taken on the name of “Humans”. After generations of procreation, three distinct groups of these new humans began to emerge. The Alphas consisted of the physically strongest and smartest individuals, who were capable of going into a rut around Omegas in heat, where they would produce large amounts of sperm for insemination. The Omega classification was reserved for the select few who would generally go into heat every three months, like clockwork. And as for the Beta group, well, they were the most similar to ancient humans, without much distinguishing characteristics. Betas were generally thought of as the common folk, born to be subservient little worker bees, unfit to be paired with Alphas and Omegas who had more worth in terms of fecundity.

Alphas and Betas could go into a heat that rivaled any Omegas’, however, this was a rare event, and only ever happened to people who experienced a high emotional connection to a partner. It wasn’t long before people recognized the privilege of having an Omega as a mate. Having two partners rutting and in heat greatly increased the chances of egg fertilization. With an assured four heats a year, having an Omega partner meant never having to worry about bearing a sufficient number of offspring, even in a loveless arranged marriage. The pheromones from any Omega could turn any Alpha or Beta into a snivelling, begging puppy. It was only a matter of time before an Omega’s partner would be totally and hopelessly in love.

As the world changed further still, more and more Omegas married into positions of powers, mating with Alphas that were soon wound round their mate’s little finger. Of course, Alphas were still highly desirable. Who did not like the idea of a strong and smart mate? Capable Alphas were the movers and shakers of the world, after all. However, it was truly the mated Omegas that held the most power; marrying Alphas that would all-too-soon be under their thumbs.

And as for the Betas, they were the true group on the lowest rung of society; the least attractive individuals. With no special traits to lure in a potential Alpha or Omega mate, Betas often bred within their own class.

It was a well-known fact. If a Beta were ever stupid enough to irrevocably fall for an Alpha or Omega, chances were that they would be forever confined to low odds of ever finding true love.


	2. New beginnings and new acquaintances

It was a clear, sunny day in Englishside; perfect weather for a farmer’s crops to photosynthesize and grow, while gulping up large amounts of irrigated water. Today was going to be a good day. Today was the day that Arthur Kirkland, heir to the five hundred acres that was Kirkland Potatoes, would travel to town, and begin his student life at Beilschmidt University.

Growing up in the countryside, with two parents who believed in freedom of choice and speech, Arthur had been raised without being confined to his social class of Beta. Although predefined as a Beta through the health and aptitude tests he took at the age of 5, and the lack of a regular heat cycle at the age of 14, Arthur was much unlike any regular Beta.

Of course he had been taught all that was expected of a young Beta male, with all the social guidelines he had to follow long engrained in his long-term memory. However, his parents supported his pursual of various classically Alpha-oriented activities, such as sports, public-speaking, and debate. The result of this was a son who often spoke his mind; completely different from the regular Beta drones that always made sure not to step outside their social boundaries.

Although she had been allowing her son such freedoms in childhood, Arthur’s Omega mother was worried for her son. The big city of Centraltown, where Beilschmidt University was situated, was nothing as forgiving as Englishside. The higher population density of Centraltown meant that it was easier for a loud-spoken, stubborn Beta to get into trouble. She cautioned Arthur about knowing when to hold his tongue, before tearfully sending him on his way. It would at least be a few months before she'd ever see him again.

\---

The train ride to Centraltown was long, but the tram to Arthur’s new king-of-the-hill school was even longer. After having a taste of the bustle of big city life at the Centraltown train station, Arthur began to appreciate the pleasant familiarity of being lost among nature. The tram that Arthur was riding on was headed for the University campus, which was in the far interior of the forest canopy. The dull ache in his bum grew increasingly intense from the long commute, after having to sit for hours on continuous train and tram rides. When the tram finally pulled up to the school entrance gate, Arthur could not wait to hop out, and stretch his tired body.

The school campus was one of the most majestic buildings he had ever seen. To Arthur, it looked reminiscent of one of the castles he had seen in his childhood picture books. The towering white walls, enclosing a belt of luscious green gardens within, seemed to beckon the newly-arriving students towards the big black metal gates in the center.

As Arthur trod through the imposing steel gates, gawking at the grandeur of his surroundings, he came across a sign that led him to the front of the small two-story Beta dorm. Upon entering the building, he went up to the front desk to sign in and collect his keys. When Arthur finally climbed the stairs and walked up to room 220, he heard a loud bang vibrate through the thin room door. Quickly fumbling for his keys, Arthur managed to wrangle open the door. He found a young blonde male, with shoulder-length hair, bowled over a large teak case that he appeared to have dropped.

The young Beta blushed in embarrassment, as he looked up towards Arthur, arms still outstretched in an attempt to pick up the fallen wooded case.

“Oui! You must be my new roommate, Arthur! I'm Francis Bonnefoy, mon ami.” Francis slid in front of Arthur, took his hand, and gave it a quick peck. Francis flashed Arthur a smile so wide, it would put crocodiles to shame.

Arthur quickly recoiled his hand. Being the country boy that he was, Arthur was not used to the idea of skinship. “Yes, hello. My name is Arthur Kirkland. Pleased to meet you too my good man.” Arthur reached out to shake Francis's hand instead.

Arthur could smell a heavy scent of roses emanating from the Frenchman's body. As Francis turned back around to gather up his fallen case, checking to ensure that its contents of glass bottles were unbroken, something clicked in Arthur's mind. “Do you perchance dabble in perfume-making, old chap?”

“Why, oui mon ami. I am the heir to Bonnefoy Perfumes. We're currently the top perfumers in Centraltown, if I do say so myself.” Francis said with a curt bow. “Feel free to come to me for all your perfume needs.”

“Sure, I guess. Thanks for the offer.” Arthur replied. Although he enjoyed pleasant smells, he wasn't really too interested in perfume-making. Arthur just couldn't see himself ever needing to approach this flamboyantly-dressed man for such a nonsensical thing. “So. I guess this is my side then?” Arthur asked, gesturing towards his right from the door. “Oui.” Francis replied cheerfully. After setting down his things, Arthur proceeded to make small-talk with the flashy Frenchman for the rest of the evening. After unpacking their respective luggage bags, the strange pair of new friends had a quick dinner, before turning in for the night. Getting sufficient sleep would be essential for their survival in the courses that they had scheduled the very next day.

\---

When daybreak hit, Francis and Arthur were awoken by the loud chorus of chirping outside their window.

 “Bollocks. Since when did birds get so loud?” Arthur grumbled, as he slowly sat up in his bed. Arthur would never have imagined that a simple thing like a window ledge could have such annoying disadvantages. He sure felt lucky that he had grown up without one.

Francis laughed, while rubbing the back of his neck. “Oui. I had not expected to be awoken so abruptly.”

After slowly getting dressed, all grumpy from that rude awakening, Arthur decided to mosey on over to the main school building without Francis. Francis's classes would only start an hour later, and he could afford to squeeze in another short nap before heading out.

Arthur slowly made his way over to the school cafeteria, looking to grab a quick bite before class started. As Arthur basked in the warmth of the sun, he took in his bright surroundings with half-lidded eyes. Suddenly, the sky went dark as he slammed right into a wall of warm, hard flesh.

“Ohmygosh! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?” A flustered voice exclaimed. Two firm hands swiftly gripped onto Arthur's shoulders, stopping him from rebounding onto the hard concrete floor.

“Bloody hell! Watch where you're going!” Arthur retorted in his shocked and confused state. He looked up to see a tall, dirty blond male; sporting a pair of half frame glasses, and a brown bomber jacket.

 Judging from the strong smell that this individual was giving off, Arthur could tell that he was definitely an Alpha. This shocking realization sent a little tremor of fear through Arthur's body. It was almost unthinkable for a weak little Beta to stand up to a big and strong Alpha. However, the stubborn vein in Arthur allowed him to steel his senses and hold up to the man's strong gaze.

“Um. Like I said before, I'm sorry. How 'bout I buy you a burger, and we'll call it even?” Arthur started feeling a little remorseful, upon hearing the stranger's apology. He was half the reason that the collision actually happened in the first place.

Arthur sighed. “It's okay. I was spacing out as well. Let's just leave it at that.” He shrugged the two leather-gloved hands off his shoulders, made a little sidestep past the stranger, and continued along his way. He didn't really want to make such a big fuss out of nothing at all.

Immediately, he heard the loud thudding of heavy boots, as the Alpha grabbed onto his shoulder from behind. “Please wait! Let me grab you that burger. I'll feel really bad otherwise.”

Arthur couldn't for the life of him understand why this stranger was being so persistent about getting him a burger. But if that's what it would take to get the blond man off his back, he guessed he could handle that. “Fine.” Arthur was resigned to his fate.

“Awesome! I'm Alfred. Alfred F. Jones. Second year business student. What's your name?” The glasses-wearing senior inquired, his voice peppered with a suspicious dose of glee.

“Arthur. Arthur Kirkland. I'm a first year accounting major.” Arthur massaged the spot in between his characteristic caterpillar-like eyebrows. Alfred seemed like an alright kind of guy, but Arthur just knew he was going to be a handful.

\---

By the time Alfred and Arthur had reached the cafeteria, which was still rather empty, Arthur felt as if he had practically heard Alfred's whole life story. From Alfred's adoption from the orphanage, and his reunion with his blood-related brother; to what kind of pranks he pulled on professors in his first year of university, Alfred covered almost everything. Some parts were actually pretty fascinating. For example, how coincidental was it that Alfred and his Omega brother, Matthew, had had a chance to grow up together? The two brothers, who were a single year apart in age, had been brought to the orphanage as babies, after their parents had died in a car crash. When Matthew was 5, and Alfred was 6, they were adopted out by two separate families. Alfred had been adopted by a rich and famous banker, while Matthew had been adopted by a middle-class florist. Although the two adopting households were financially vastly different, the two heads happened to be very close friends. This gave Alfred and Matthew the chance to continue growing up as brothers, which resulted in them being so close, even to this day.

Of course, all the interesting little tidbits were embedded within fantastical tales of Alfred being plain ridiculous. For example, when Alfred was small, he hid a frog in the shoe of a boy that he did not like. Horrified by the slimy green lump he found in his footwear, the boy had ended up flinging the shoe right on top of Alfred's head. Alfred pouted, recalling the smelly shoe on his face, while Arthur had to hold back a loud snort. Alfred was being such a dope.

“Hehe. You're laughing, aren't you?” Damn. Alfred was just a cheeky little bastard after all.

“No I'm not.” Arthur turned away, embarrassed that he was being swept up in Alfred's pace.

While Arthur found a cozy table to sit at, Alfred went up to the cafeteria counter to order them some grub. In the blink of an eye, Alfred was surrounded by a growing horde of Omegas, who were obviously trying to flirt with him. Arthur could almost see a literal sweat drop form on the Alpha's face, as he tried to politely refuse the various breakfast invitations. With a sigh, Arthur got up from his seat.

' _I guess, this should make up for the burger, huh?_ ' The Alpha, who was tightly clutching his paper bag full of food, suddenly felt a hard yank on his hand. Alfred soon found himself jogging behind Arthur, who was sprinting aimlessly.

As the Beta in front of him started panting loudly, completely out of breath, Alfred pulled him to a stop, his trademark grin plastered onto his face. “You don't even know where you're going, do you? Come. I'll show you my secret hideout.” Arthur scowled at the insinuating remark, but nodded, as it was the truth.

After climbing up the seemingly countless flights of stairs, Arthur was red in the face and gasping for air. He silently rejoiced when they finally stopped at the entrance to the rooftop. Alfred swiftly whipped out a set of keys from his pocket. Arthur could only ogle at the breath-taking view, as Alfred slowly pushed the grey, aluminum door open. So this was one of the advantages of having a school on a mountain. “Welcome to my humble abode!”

Alfred led the way to the quiet corner he usually sat at. “Does that always happen to you?” The quizzical expression on Alfred's face prompted Arthur to elaborate. “With all those Omegas, I mean.”

“Oh. Right. That.” Alfred finally responded with words. The floodgates were now open. Alfred began pouring out to Arthur about his relationship troubles. Alfred was one of those kids who had been brought up believing in monogamy, and that fornication was a big no-no. Of course, not all families worked like that. In fact, in this day and age, an Alpha having two or three mates was the norm. And with the scores of Omegas looking to marry into a rich family, and the number of high society Alphas becoming less and less, Alfred could not remember when it started, but one day, everyone started throwing themselves at him. He was, after all, the heir to one of the biggest banks around.

“It sure sounds like you're bragging to me...” Arthur had a very unimpressed look on his face.

“I'm not! I swear! It's my dream to find my one true love. And we'll date, get married, and spend the rest of our lives together.” Alfred started to get a dreamy faraway look in his eyes.

“Hah! What a child!” Arthur may have said that out loud, but the slight blush on his face gave away the fact that he had very similar views on relationships.

“Oh, come on. Don't you wish to find your true love too?” Alfred suddenly leaned closer to Arthur, and started sniffing at his nape. “You sure don't smell like you have a mate yet.”

Arthur gave Alfred an almighty shove. “Yeah! Okay! I wouldn't mind finding someone! But haven't you ever heard of respecting someone's personal space?” Arthur's face was beet-red at this point.

“Oww~ You're pretty strong for a Beta.” Alfred sat up again, rubbing his shoulder that had been shoved. “But this is awesome! Everyone I know either already has a mate, or just wants to throw themselves at me.” Arthur couldn't help but roll his eyes at this very not subtle boasting. “We could totally be relationship buddies and all!”

“I'd really rather no-” Arthur began, eyebrow twitching in exasperation. But Alfred began putting on a large-eyed puppy dog face. Arthur sighed. “How about we just start out as normal friends first?”

Alfred’s face was slowly morphing into a smile, but his quivering pouty lip still remained. Arthur rolled his eyes once more at the stubborn Alpha. “Fine. And maybe we can slowly work our way up to being relationship buddies in the future. Happy now?”

God. Now all Arthur wanted to do was wipe that shit-eating grin off of Alfred’s face.

\---

After eating hamburgers for breakfast on the roof, Alfred and Arthur finally parted ways to attend their various classes. The first class Arthur had was Math. Wanting to absorb as much as possible, Arthur chose to sit near the front of the lecture hall. The people who chose to sit at the back were probably slackers, and would only serve as a distraction for him. After finding an empty seat with a good view of the blackboard, Arthur found himself seated next to an obviously mated Omega, who sported a rather impressive-looking curl in his chestnut-brown hair. Deciding that it would be okay to talk to this seemingly harmless individual, Arthur decided to strike up a conversation. Arthur, like most other people, felt the urgent need to form his friendships fast, before all the various cliques were formed, leaving him in the loner squad.

Turns out, the chestnut-haired Omega was pretty easy to talk to. His name was Feliciano Vargas, also a first year accounting major. He had started out as the son of a poor baker, and his family constantly struggled to make ends meet. However, when Feliciano started high school, he met the love of his life. A sweet German boy who ended up saving Feliciano's whole family from poverty. Arthur felt a pleasantly warm feeling build up inside as he listened to Feliciano gush over his mate of two years.

Five minutes before it was time for class to start, a light-haired unmated Omega, who had an uncanny resemblance to Alfred, entered the room, and sat on the other side of Feliciano. Arthur was almost completely unsurprised when Feliciano introduced the newcomer as Matthew Williams, son of a middle-class florist. Arthur had already been given an amazingly detailed introduction to Matthew, by Alfred himself. After class was over, the trio visited a cafe together, where Arthur proceeded to share his Alfred experience with the two Omega boys. The three of them laughed till their bellies ached, continuing to swap ridiculous stories with each other. Arthur could tell, these two boys were most certainly going to be his two best friends in the whole school.


	3. In fantasy stories, there will always be a hero

Arthur truly regretted ever agreeing to let his friends, Feliciano and Matthew, come over to the Beta dorm to fetch him.

 Just a few days earlier, the new trio of best friends had agreed to attend an on-campus nighttime flower-viewing event together. On the appointed day, Arthur had finished with his classes much later than usual. Not wanting to impose on his friends, and make them wait even longer, Arthur had agreed to their suggestion of going over to pick him up from his dorm room.

Arthur initially had had no qualms whatsoever about inviting two Omegas over to the Beta dorm.

Since Betas usually mated within their own class, it was generally accepted for Betas to hang around with other Alphas and Omegas, but only up to a certain extent. While it was permissible for Betas to meet up with friends from other classes occasionally, it was highly frowned upon if a more intimate relationship was started. The rules were stricter for Alpha acquaintances, as it was considered a waste for an Alpha's seed to be made unavailable, and be foolishly spent on a Beta mate with low fecundity. But the guidelines were far laxer for Beta and Omega relationships. Sure, it was a waste for an Omega to mate with a Beta; however, the fertile Omega would be able to ensure sufficient production of offspring, and therefore the couple would still be productive in that sense.

Nevertheless, Betas were considered to be “safe”, as they were supposed to be the most undesirable class, and most of them were self-aware and mindful of their social status. Most, except for a Beta named Francis Bonnefoy.

With the level of touchy-feely-ness Arthur's roommate Francis displayed, at times, even Arthur would suspect that Francis had a crush on him. However, Arthur couldn't have been any more wrong. He soon learned never to underestimate the passion of a Frenchman ever again. When Arthur requested for Francis to help him get the door, knowing that Matthew and Feliciano were the ones who were knocking at the boys' room entrance at 6 pm, he did not realize that this would be the beginning of a whole new drama.

As Arthur struggled to get his black turtleneck shirt on, he heard the door creak open. With his head still searching for the neck hole in his blasted garment, Arthur listened on as Matthew greeted Francis in a soft voice. “U-um. Hi. We're Arthur's friends. Would you happen to know if he's ready to leave yet?”.

The room went silent. Confused, and with his shirt finally on, Arthur turned around to smack his impolite roommate in the head, when a foreign scent hit his sensitive nose. ' _Wait just a goddamn minute. Is the bloody Frenchman actually aroused right now?_ '

Arthur had spun around just in time to see a lone Feliciano standing at the entrance to the dorm room, frozen like a statue. In the corridor behind him, Francis had Matthew pinned, back against the wall, and looking as if he were a scared little bunny rabbit that had been found by a big bad wolf, who was about to gobble him up. Francis moved to cup Matthew's face in his hands.

“Mon amour, I have been searching for you ever since the day we first met in the library.” To any observer, it looked as if Francis's attack was completely one-sided sexual harassment. However, the slight blush and whine that Matthew produced indicated otherwise.

Francis proceeded to close in on Matthew's neck, and deeply inhaled his scent. “Ah. The sweet smell of honey and lavender… You smell positively delectable, mon petit chou.”

With that last “compliment” from Francis, Arthur finally snapped out of his daze, and he quickly gathered his wits about him. Arthur could not allow the Frenchman to attack his friend any further. With a swift smack, Francis was sent flying, while Matthew was dragged out the Beta dorm, along with Feliciano.

\---

Of course, you can never underestimate the tenacity of a Frenchman either. As the trio headed off to their flower-viewing event, Francis insisted on following them closely.

When the four men reached the garden that had been closed off since the beginning of school, they found scores of young students filling up the walkways. Along each path, numerous stalls selling various trinkets lined the road, beckoning to visitors walking along the network of concrete rivers.

“Let's start with the red spider lilies over there!” Matthew pointed excitedly at a display of crimson flowers sitting under a luscious Japanese maple tree.

“ _Lycoris radiata_ is usually associated with death, and is only ever used in funerals.” Arthur shivered upon hearing Matthew's little fun-fact.

“But they are so gorgeous!” Matthew squatted in front of the mini field of red flowers, drinking in the beauty with his eyes.

“Ah~. But they are also extremely poisonous, mon chéri.” Bending forward, Francis rested his chin onto Matthew's shoulder from behind, and gently began to caress Matthew's right cheek.

Arthur sighed in irritation, as Matthew quickly took on the hue of a sun-ripened tomato. Arthur followed up Francis's display of inappropriateness with an obligatory smack to the Frenchman's face.

Needless to say, Francis was not happy with the limit being put on his flirting. But in the presence of the stern chaperone that was Arthur Kirkland, with thick eyebrows knotted into a strong “V” shape, Francis hastily retreated into a corner of his own. At the very least, he knew how to pick his battles.

“Psst! We need to ditch Francis somehow! At this rate, it's only a matter of time before Matthew gets swallowed up by that idiot.” Arthur whispered urgently to Feliciano.

“Vee~” Feliciano agreed enthusiastically.

“Hey, hey! Arthur! Now's our chance!” Feliciano nodded towards Francis, who currently had his nose stuck in an herb stand by the side of the road. Feliciano and Arthur turned to each other, grabbed hold of Matthew, and took the chance to run.

It was difficult for three people to navigate the big crowds, especially while holding hands. But not wanting to get separated, the friends held on to each other tightly. It wasn't long before the three of them ran right into a small group of three Alphas.

“Hey! Watch it, punks!” The largest Alpha confronted the trio.

“Oh fudge. Sorry guys.” Arthur bowed in apology. He was expecting this to just end with a curt, “Be more careful next time!” But what he heard next sent tremors of fear throughout his body.

“Hey. It’s an unmated Omega.”

The blood started to drain from Arthur's face. ' _Bloody hell._ ' Maybe staying with Francis would have been the best idea after all. The three of them could certainly use the extra manpower right about now.

Arthur protectively stuck an arm out in front of Matthew. “This Omega has already been promised to another. Please just excuse us, and we’ll be on our way.”

“But he’s still unbound, no? And an unbound Omega is always fair game.” One of the Alphas took a step forward.

Trying to make himself more intimidating, Arthur stood tall and puffed out his chest. “Then you’ll have to get through me first!” Arthur motioned for Feliciano and Matthew to make a run for it, which they promptly did.

The Alphas lunged forward, wanting to pursue the escaping Omegas. However, Arthur used his whole body to block their path.

“Oh, I see. This little Beta bitch is trying to step outside his class boundaries, and act all heroic and shit, huh?” The biggest Alpha kicked Arthur down onto the dirt. There was no way a lowly Beta had the strength to stand up to a powerful Alpha. Arthur glared in retaliation.

“Fuck! You think you can get away with being a defiant little whore? I guess we really need to teach you a lesson. Do you know what happens to stupid little Betas who don’t know their place?” The largest Alpha was smirking in a highly suspicious manner.

Arthur had a really bad feeling about this. The stubborn half of him strongly wished that he’d been born an Alpha. With the strength of an Alpha, he was sure he could smack these numbskulls into oblivion. The more subservient side of Arthur was just wishing that he hadn’t gotten his friends to run away without him. If it were an Omega being attacked, someone else would eventually intervene. Omegas were highly prized after all, and this could be an Alpha's chance to impress the unmated Omega with his strength. But no one would stop to help a Beta in this situation. Any other normal Beta would never dream of standing up to a group of Alphas. Plus, other Alphas and Omegas wouldn’t give two hoots about some scrawny little Beta, who was in no way good potential mate material. It would just not be advantageous for them to get into a brawl, as it would only be a waste of their time and energy.

Arthur was pretty sure he was going to be beaten up beyond recognition at this point. He had to make a run for it soon. Arthur spotted a small break in the blindly passing crowd, and with a quick assessment, decided that he would easily be able to squeeze through. Spinning around swiftly, Arthur reared up his legs in preparation for sprinting through the crowd; however, his feet never got a chance to hit the pavement.

Arthur soon found that he was being held up in the air by the scruff of his shirt. The Alphas started dragging him over to a dark corner, away from the crowd; where the trees shaded out any light emitted by the nearby streetlamps.

“Blimey! You can afford to be gentler, you know?” Arthur was unceremoniously thrown down at the base of a large tree.

“And you don’t have to specially go over to some dark corner just to beat me up. No one would come and help me anyway.” Arthur spat.

Things were looking hopeless for Arthur. He was going to get beat bad for sure. Like Arthur, Feliciano and Matthew did not seem to know many people around this new school. It would probably be pretty long before they managed to get any help.

Francis was also probably still stuck at the herb shop. Plus, being a Beta, he may not feel any inclination to help out his roommate go up against three huge Alphas.

Thinking further, Arthur realized that he actually did know of an Alpha. He knew Alfred. And he was actually quite confident that a guy like Alfred could take down the three that stood before him. Arthur could tell by comparing the scent in his memory with the weaker Alpha scent of the three buffoons standing before him. But even though Arthur had been meeting up with Alfred every morning since the day they met, mostly due to Alfred's persistence, Arthur had never met up with Alfred at night. Arthur's only glimmer of hope soon faded out of sight.

Arthur soon realized that he could only depend on himself.

“Fine. I’ll take you guys on.” Even though he knew it pretty hopeless, Arthur lifted his hands up in an offensive stance. He was still sitting, leaning against the large tree trunk, but Arthur was pretty sure he could roll and evade the first blow.

“Oh ho! This little Beta thinks we’re going to let him go with a simple little beating now, does he? Nuh-uh. Not after all that trouble you caused us.”

Arthur held his breath. ' _What could these Alphas possibly have planned?_ '

When Arthur felt his world spin around, and someone copped a feel of his ass, Arthur’s blood ran cold. He cursed inwardly. Why hadn’t he been more aware of his situation? Betas generally had a very low fertility rate, and were not worth very much at all. Even if someone were to rape a Beta, nobody would really care. It was not as if they were Alphas or Omegas, who actually had important roles in society.

Arthur tried twisting and kicking his way to freedom, but he soon found his arms and legs pinned to the ground by the two smaller Alphas. The larger Alpha swiftly pried off Arthur’s brown cotton pants along with Arthur’s white briefs, and revealed a surprisingly round and supple ass.

“Hmm. Look at what we have here.” Arthur shuddered in repulsion as the Alpha roughly grabbed one of Arthur’s butt cheeks, all the while sniffing and licking at the base of Arthur’s ear.

Arthur had never imagined that he would be caught in such a situation. No amount of textbook studying could have prepared him for this.

“ _It's my dream to find my one true love. And we'll date, get married, and spend the rest of our lives together.”_ Why was he recalling Alfred’s stupid words at a time like this?

“ _Don't you wish to find your true love too?_ ” Tears started leaking forth from Arthur’s eyes. Now, he was never going to be able to find his true love. He was not born into a class where it was okay to have a loose bottom, and have many spouses. No. He was just a lowly Beta. And nobody liked the idea of used goods.

Arthur squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the wandering hand on his ass to do its worst. But the advancement never came. Instead, the hand suddenly disappeared, along with the hands around his arms and legs. Arthur could hear that a fight had broken out behind him.

Arthur recognized the all-too-familiar scent that had appeared. He turned around to see a fiery-eyed Alfred punching the large Alpha’s face into the dirt below. Arthur quickly pulled up his pants.

Looking up again, Arthur could see that the two smaller Alphas were now sneaking up behind Alfred. Arthur rushed forward to stop them when two blond men suddenly ran out from behind a dark tree.

A tall blond Alpha with gelled-back hair easily sent one of the sneak attackers flying. However, the smaller blond Francis, with his noodle-like golden locks, ended up being the one that got tossed off his target.

Arthur could not help but sigh. In the end, Francis was just a typical, weak Beta. However, when Francis rolled off the ground, he had a big grin plastered all over his face. Suddenly, the Alpha that Francis had attacked started screaming wildly, and ran off into the dark forest. Everyone else stopped what they were doing, and looked at Francis. Francis just chuckled, as he lifted up a small glass vial. “Jus de skunk, anyone?” Everyone but the two unconscious Alphas lying on the ground went into a fit of laughter.

\---

“I'm fine! They didn't do anything, really!” Arthur struggled in protest, as Alfred dragged Arthur towards the infirmary, all their concerned friends in tow. Although the rape attempt had Arthur completely shaken, once the trio of blondes had shown up to save him, Arthur felt strangely calm and comforted.

“How can you even say that? They were about to force you! I mean, he was freaking groping your butt!” Alfred plopped Arthur down onto an empty bed, the veins in his eyes becoming even more red.

Arthur sighed. “Seriously, I don't even have a single scratch on me. I wasn't hurt at all. See? Nothing.” Arthur rolled up his sleeves, exposing his pale and physically unharmed arms.

Alfred narrowed his eyes. “Well, as long as you really are okay, kay?” He pet Arthur on the head.

“Alright! How 'bout I go fetch you a warm drink! Hot milk? It might be a little late for English tea.” Alfred winked, teasingly sticking out a pinky finger, pretending to drink a cup of tea.

“And with the amount of milk you put in yours, the two won't be that different at all.”

Arthur flung his pillow in Alfred's direction, as Alfred slid out the infirmary door with a wide grin.

Turning back to his friends, Arthur thanked both Francis and the other blond Alpha for saving him. On the way to the infirmary, the blond Alpha had been introduced as Feliciano's German husband, Ludwig Belschmidt; younger brother of the school's president, Gilbert Belschmidt. With the way the pair interacted, Arthur could tell that they were a genuinely close and loving couple. He couldn't help but feel kind of envious.

Matthew and Feliciano, who had been the ones to fetch the trio of heroes, were fussing over Arthur from both sides of the bed.

“Do you want to hug my Kumajirou?” Matthew offered his white bear up to Arthur. Arthur, not having a thing for hugging other peoples' plushies, refused politely.

“How about some bread? Or pasta?” Feliciano gushed. Not in the mood to eat either, Arthur declined his kind offer as well.

“Anyway, we should make sure that you really did not get scratched somewhere else!”, Matthew announced triumphantly. He was pretty sure that this was an important, basic first aid thing.

“Fine, fine.” Arthur gave in. With all that had happened that evening, Arthur didn't really have the strength to argue any longer.

Suddenly, as Matthew and Feliciano reached out for Arthur's shoulders, to peel back his clothes and check that his skin was truly unharmed, Arthur shrank back.

Arthur had no ideas as to what had come over him. One moment he seemed just fine. Then, before he knew what was happening, he had become a trembling little ball of fear. Everyone in the room could smell the panic rolling off his body in thick waves.

_Slosh slosh slosh_. The infirmary door slammed open. Alfred, on his way back with the warmed milk, had suddenly gotten a whiff of Arthur's unexpected anxiety. He ran up to the shaking male, put down the hot milk, and started cooing.

“There, there. It's okay Arthur. Everything will be okay.” Alfred rubbed large, warm circles into Arthur's shaking back.

“Oh Arthur, it's okay to cry. Everything will be alright now. I'll be here to protect you.” The tension in Arthur's body was finally starting to let up as the smaller boy started sobbing into Alfred's warm, inviting chest.

“I'll always be here to protect you.”


	4. It's always the littlest cuts that tend to hurt the most

_Chirp chirp chrip!_

The now-familiar sound of birds chirping at the dorm window roused Arthur from his slumber. Looking around, he realized that he was in clean pyjamas, safe and sound in his own bed.

The last thing Arthur remembered was crying into Alfred's chest, as Alfred tried his best to soothe the distraught young Beta. 'Bloody hell, I'm so embarrassed!’ Arthur thought as he buried his face into his hands, recalling his recent display of weakness.

Arthur turned over to see that Francis was already gone and missing from his bed. He must have had an early class or something. Since Arthur was dressed, and in his own room, someone must have helped him change his clothes, and carried him over. Arthur, having been brought up as a polite young man, decided that he had to remember to thank everyone for helping him. Feeling much better after a good night’s sleep, Arthur decided that it was high time he got ready for class. It was already 9 am, and accounting was scheduled to start in a mere 30 minutes.

As Arthur burst out of the room, in a hurry to get some grub before the hour-long morning class, he almost barreled right through a tall bespectacled man in a brown bomber jacket.

“Bloody- Hell? Alfred? What are you doing here?” Arthur had to stop and steady his fluttering heart, shaken from the bump-in.

Alfred proudly puffed out his chest. “From now on, I’ll be here to make sure you don’t get into trouble! I’ll be your personal bodyguard, if you will.”

“No. No no no no no. There’s no way that I’m walking around with you stuck to me all day.”

“But Arthur~” Alfred whined.

\---

After ten minutes, Arthur finally managed to verbally wrangle Alfred into an agreement that would make Alfred seem less stalker-like than he had initially intended.

“Anyway, I still need to thank you for last night.” Arthur began to peer on curiously, as the Alpha in front of him started blushing and staring at a black spot on the floor.

“And about that embarrassing display I put on… Please just forget about it! Erase it from your memory!” Alfred was really blushing way too much at Arthur’s show of gratitude, and his sincere request. Damn. Had he really been that much of an embarrassment? Arthur felt his face begin to burn up as well.

Finally, Alfred looked up, and gazed directly into Arthur’s eyes. A grin slowly started to form as the edges of his lips began to curl upwards. “No way in hell! It’s already been deeply imprinted in my memory!” Alfred winked, before running for the stairs, and running out the Beta dorm.

After game of cat-and-mouse around the block, Alfred proceeded to escort Arthur to school. To Arthur, this was actually turning out to be a pretty normal day after all. Alfred usually caught Arthur along the way to school anyway, and always seemed to have a knack for making the Beta flare up.

With their hunger sated, the Alpha-Beta pair separated, and Arthur headed off to his accounting class, where he found Feliciano and Matthew.

“Seriously, thank you guys, for helping me out last night. And Feliciano, could you please help me thank your husband for his help as well?” Arthur started.

“Oh, not at all! We should be the ones thanking you for trying to save us last night!” Feliciano grabbed Arthur into a fierce embrace.

“Yes! You’re really such a great friend, Arthur!” Matthew joined in the hug fest. “I’m just so glad you are alright!” Matthew was sobbing so hard that he could barely see out his soggy glasses.

“Anyway, about those three Alphas who attacked us.” Feliciano started smiling. “My husband made sure that they were expelled from school. We won’t have to fear them ever again!”

The three good friends were glad for this news, and Arthur felt a sense of relief as class finally began.

\---

During lunch, somehow, everyone managed to meet up in the courtyard to eat. Turns out, Alfred, Ludwig, and Francis were actually all best friends at school. Of course, after Alfred found out that Francis was now hitting on his brother Mattie, Francis’s status had been converted back into Alfred’s probationary friend.

“Come Matthew, let us separate from these buffoons, and share our love for flowers in the garden!” Francis dove for the blushing Matthew’s hand, when a brown wall came between them.

“Nuh-uh! I’m not letting you guys out of my sight. Since Matthew seems to like you, I’ll let you spend time with him. BUT!” Alfred roared comically. “I’VE GOT MY EYES ON YOU.” Alfred used two fingers to gesture exaggeratedly from his eyes to Francis’s, before finally settling down next to Arthur again.

Francis conceded with a pout. Although they would not be alone like he had hoped, he was happy as long as he got to spend some quality time with Matthew.

Alfred eyed the pair whispering and giggling in a corner, concerned for his brother’s safety. However, he soon returned his gaze to Arthur, who was excitedly talking to Feliciano, who was sitting on Ludwig’s lap.

With Alfred back from his ‘heroic rescue’, the quartet resumed their talks on planning an outing for the upcoming week-long break, which would happen in a month’s time.

Since the weather was getting slightly chilly, they decided that a trip to the hot springs in Japan Village would be a really awesome treat. They agreed to book three rooms together, planning to share rooms according to their social classes, and they were sure they were going to have a blast.

After a little more time to chit-chat about their day, it was time for the friends to split up for their afternoon classes.

On the way to their business class, Feliciano said the unthinkable to Arthur.

“Vee~ The two of you seem so lovey dovey! Watching you makes me feel so happy~!”

“W-what? Me and who?” Arthur was flabbergasted.

“You and Alfred, silly!” Feliciano smacked Arthur right in the middle of his back.

“Oh, yes! I know what you mean! It makes me blush just having to watch you guys sometimes.” Matthew interjected. “But I'm so happy, because it means I can be in-laws with one of my best friends ever!” He huggled Arthur from behind.

“Well, blow me! You guys are off your rockers!” Arthur retorted in a huff.

“That bloke just acts as if he's everyone's friend. Come on. You know how much he irritates me.” Arthur felt his face warm as a blush managed to creep out onto his now-rosy cheeks. Okay, there were times when Arthur felt Alfred looked really dashing, and managed to make his heart rate speed up quite a bit. However, with all the time he spent guffawing at the stupid things Alfred would do, he couldn't possibly be in love with the Alpha, could he?

Arthur walked on while speaking, suddenly realizing that he was actually all alone. He turned around to see Matthew and Feliciano staring at him, bug-eyed, and slack-jawed.

“What in the bloody hell is wrong with you guys now?” Arthur's eyebrow was twitching, unsure of what had come over his friends.

“Man, Arthur. I know you came from Englishside and all, but in Centraltown, when you ask someone to blow you, it means something totally different.” Matthew's cheeks were starting to puff out, a laughter threatening to explode out at any moment.

Arthur's whole head was now a brilliant shade of tomato-red. “Blimey! You guys know that it's just an exclamation of surprise! How could you change it into something so crass?”

There was a momentary period of silence, before the trio burst out in laughter, and headed off to class.

\---

Their lecturer had let them out half an hour early, and Arthur headed over to the classroom that Alfred was supposed to be in. Alfred had told him that Arthur should meet up with him after classes were over, so Alfred could walk Arthur back to the Beta dorm. Pushing open the door to the lecture hall just a crack, he listened in.

“With the midterm just next week, we will be using up the whole period today. Now, let's go over the midterm topics again. Does anyone have any questions?”

Arthur let go of the lecture hall door, letting it close quietly. Thinking it was a waste of time for him to wait 30 minutes for Alfred to go out of his way to walk him back, Arthur decided to send Alfred a quick text, and walk to the dorm on his own. It wasn't as if he was incapable of doing so. Alfred was just being paranoid after the last incident.

As Arthur exited the main school building, the cool evening temperatures made him pull his coat around himself tighter. The air outside was strangely calm, the almost stagnant atmosphere around him made Arthur feel slightly unsettled.

Walking along the path leading to the Beta dorm, Arthur's heart rate sped up as he heard the sound of footsteps following him. Not one to avoid challenges, Arthur stopped and swerved around. Seeing nobody in sight, Arthur verbally challenged his stalkers.

“Why are you guys following me? Stop being cowards and show yourselves!” Arthur was pretty sure that these individuals following him certainly weren’t doing it to try to be friendly. He could smell hints of anger lacing the air.

Soon after Arthur finished speaking, three Omegas walked out from behind some trees that were lining the path to the dorm.

“So. What do you guys want with me?” Arthur sighed. He did not feel up to dealing with whatever this was at the moment. This was totally going to end his perfectly happy day on a sour note. He could tell.

The well-dressed curly blonde Omega male in the centre stepped forward. “We're here to warn you to stop getting so close to Alfred.” He gestured to the two brunette females at his side.

“And what gives you the right to say that?” Arthur spat.

The taller female Omega snorted. “Hah! Just look at you. You're a just a lowly Beta.” She eyed him from head to toe. “Hanging out with someone like you would just be a waste of Alfred's time.” The Omega snarled.

“Well, I happen to think that everyone should have the right to choose their own friends! What should it matter to you, whether he chooses to be my friend or not?” Arthur was ready to just leave. This whole argument that they were having was getting borderline ridiculous.

“But you don't seem to know your place.” The smallest Omega piped up.

“You shamelessly flirt with him, knowing you're just a lousy Beta. You should know already, that you’re not meant to be by his side!” Arthur was flabbergasted, and at a loss for words.

“Alfred is the next heir to the Centraltown National Bank. What he needs is an Omega by his side. Not a lowly Beta, who will probably never produce an heir.” The curly-haired male spoke coldly.

All the stories and lessons, about how Betas should understand where they stood in society, came pouring back down onto Arthur. After getting used to hanging around with his new Alpha and Omega friends, Arthur had gotten a bit too comfortable in his own skin.

“Know your place, Beta.” The poisonous words seemed to echo in Arthur's mind. “You're delusional if you think that such a high-ranking Alpha would ever settle for a piece of trash like you.”

The trio of Omegas finally left, leaving behind a long trail of emotional hurt. Of course Arthur was upset, and somewhere deep down inside, he knew that the Omegas had spoken the truth. Betas were meant to be with Betas. It wasn't that common even for Alpha and Beta friends to hang out every day, like he had been doing with Alfred. Even Francis only met up with Alfred and Ludwig a couple of times a week.

Okay, so maybe he had to start spending less time with Alfred. This wouldn't be a problem at all, right?

“ _Know your place, Beta. You're delusional if you think that such a high-ranking Alpha would ever settle for a piece of trash like you._ ”

Arthur did not know why he was so wounded by the Omegas' words, but he was.

That night, he crawled into bed early, without eating his dinner. Alfred had replied to the message that Arthur had sent him, asking if Arthur had reached home safely. Not wanting to worry Alfred, Arthur sent a reassuring message to Alfred, receiving one wishing Arthur good night in return. After reading the Alfred's message, Arthur was glad to have the chance to cry himself to sleep, before Francis retired to their room for the night.

\---

Arthur woke up bleary-eyed, an hour earlier than was required of him. He quietly got dressed, without once stirring Francis, who was a pretty heavy sleeper. He left the Beta dorm, picked up some breakfast, and went straight to the empty lecture hall, where he would have his class in an hour's time.

Half an hour later, Arthur's phone was buzzing away. He could see that Alfred was trying to call him, but he was in no mood to speak to the sunny Alpha right now, and refused to pick up the phone.

During class, Matthew and Feliciano noticed the overnight change in the Beta's demeanour, and exchanged concerned glances. When the lesson was over, Matthew and Feliciano wanted to ask Arthur about it, but wanting to be left alone, Arthur ditched them and headed for an empty spot in the school gardens.

“There you are!” Arthur's heart did a little skip, then sank immediately. He recognized the voice coming from the very Alpha he was trying to avoid.

“Hey.” Arthur said weakly to Alfred.

Sensing the solemn mood that the Beta was in, Alfred asked if anything was wrong. Of course, Arthur replied that it was nothing.

Arthur tried to get out of having lunch with Alfred, but the persistent Alpha made it impossible for him to refuse. While the two of them ate quietly, Alfred kept pressing Arthur to tell him what was wrong. However, Arthur repeatedly brushed him off.

After Arthur was done with his half-eaten sandwich, he stood up to leave.

“Wait! Arthur! You don't need to leave so quickly, right?” Alfred got up from his seat, and grabbed onto one of Arthur's shoulders.

“I have something I need to do.” Was the reply. “Actually, I was thinking that maybe we shouldn't be meeting up so often.”

“NO! No. I mean, why would you even say that?” Alfred sounded panicked.

“I think I prefer having more time alone. I need my own personal space.” Arthur replied matter-of-factly.

“Is this because something happened? What is it that is making you so upset?” Arthur evaded the question by averting his gaze.

Suddenly, Arthur felt himself enveloped in a strong, comforting hug. He found his face buried in Alfred's chest. Alfred started gently petting Arthur on the head.

“I know you must have your reasons for not wanting to tell me, so I'll wait. I'll wait till the day you wish to share your problems with me.” Alfred placed a soft kiss on the top of Arthur's head.

As Arthur soaked in the warmth emanating from Alfred's body. His heart started pounding with gusto, and he felt something stir deep inside him. Giving Arthur one last quick squeeze, Alfred let go of the boy, and smiled as Arthur slowly retreated back into the school building.

The day's classes seemed to pass by in a quick blur. Soon, Arthur found himself sitting in the courtyard with Matthew and Feliciano, who were practically begging him to tell them what was wrong. Wanting someone he could confide in, Arthur finally spilled his guts, and told the two Omegas the events that had transpired on the previous evening.

“That's rubbish!” Matthew exclaimed loudly. “My brother certainly would not stand for this nonsense!”

Arthur mentally smacked his forehead. He had somehow completely forgotten that Matthew and Alfred were brothers. He sure hoped Matthew knew how to keep a secret.

Feliciano agreed. “How can anyone be so mean? How can they even think of breaking the two of you apart?” He had started bubbling. Arthur could not summon up the strength to correct Feliciano's wrong assumption of Alfred and Arthur being a pair of lovers, or anything of the sort.

Arthur patiently began explaining that all Betas were supposed to adhere to a certain set of standards, in order to properly fit into society. How it was generally frowned upon for a Beta to date an Omega, but it was almost blasphemous for an Alpha and Beta to mate. And how it was considered a total waste of the Alpha's seed, as Betas were much less fertile than Omegas.

“It's almost like a job for Alphas, especially high-born ones, to have enough offspring, and ensure that the family line continues. I guess those three Omegas just didn't like the idea of me becoming friends with Alfred.” Arthur shuffled his feet on the floor. He was starting to feel weird, like he was coming down with something. It would probably soon be time for him to retire for the night.

“It's unfair!” Feliciano scrunched up his face in frustration. Arthur replied with a weak laugh.

“Anyway, are you okay Arthur? You seem pretty red. Are you sick or something?” Matthew now had a hand on Arthur's forehead, realizing that his friend did not seem to be completely well. By now, Arthur couldn't bring himself to respond. The really strange feeling was quickly welling up inside his body.

“Vee~ You're starting to pant pretty heavily too.” Feliciano grabbed Arthur's wrist, searching for a pulse.

“Do you need to loosen your collar?” Matthew offered, as he unfastened a single button on Arthur's shirt.

“Mmm~ Don’t touch me~” Arthur moaned out, pushing Matthew’s hands away, eyes glazed over with lust. The smell of Arthur's arousal suddenly hit the two Omegas like a ten-ton brick.

“Oh my maple syrup. I think he's gone into heat.” Matthew and Feliciano stared bug-eyed at each other, trying to figure out what they should do next.


	5. Every prince will have his knight, who may or may not turn into a wolf

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. I am honestly so touched and amazed that some people who had been reading this way WAY back are genuinely curious enough to want to continue reading this story.  
> I'll just keep chugging along, as I too would like my story to finally be complete.  
> I would like to thank everyone who gave the story a chance.

“What is up with that smell? Did someone mistime their heat cycle again?” The teasing tone of the dorm supervisor, a short male Omega with platinum grey hair, signified the failure of Feliciano's and Matthew's covert mission.

Having been caught by the dorm supervisor, the two Omegas explained their situation to the understanding older male, who was surprisingly willing to keep it all a secret.

“Bring him to the third heat room pronto! It's empty right now. Quick! Before any Alphas discover what is going on!” Feliciano and Matthew both nodded, and quickly ran up the stairs, their flushed little friend in tow.

After settling Arthur down on the bed, they brought him pillows, blankets, food, water, and a few changes of clothes. After making sure that Arthur would be set for the week, save for the Alpha for whom his body was desperately seeking as a mate, Feliciano and Matthew wished Arthur the best, and left him to his own devices.

This was the first time Arthur had ever experienced being in heat, and the poor Beta had little clue on what to do to douse the fire spreading throughout his body. He soon discovered that the mere feeling of friction from his hands on his cock was not enough. Arthur flipped himself onto his belly, fingers instinctively beginning to explore his soaking-wet hole.

“A-Alfred~” The Beta moaned into his pillow, even though he knew deep down that his feeble calls would probably go unanswered.

Pushing his fingers past the taut ring of muscles and pressing them in deeper gave Arthur some, but rather limited, relief. His body was yearning for something more. He wished to be able to inhale the scent of the man he desired. He wanted to be able to feel safe in his mate’s warm embrace. To have his thick cock fill him up to the brim with seed and knot him; to kiss him silly as they whispered sweet nothings to each other, professing their undying love.

As Arthur’s fantasies took over, he found himself rubbing up against the sheets and his long-discarded clothes, trying to satisfy his burning lust. His orgasm came quickly as his fingers pounded shallowly into his ass. But without the partner his heart and body desired, his release came with a hollow feeling of emptiness. The reasonable part of Arthur’s brain knew that it would be a long week for him, riding out this unexpected heat alone. However, the depressing thoughts were only fleeting as Arthurs hormones took over once again, and the only thing he cared about was sating the heat that ravaged his sensitive body.

\---

It had been two days since Alfred had last seen Arthur, and the weight of his growing concerns was mounting, driving him crazy. He had tried calling the Beta numerous times on his cell phone, only to face the frustration of getting sent to voicemail each and every time. Arthur was not responding to texts, he was never in his dorm room, and he didn’t appear to be attending his classes either. None of Arthur’s professors seemed to know what the situation with the Beta was, and none of his friends would tell him anything. Alfred was certain that his brother and Feliciano knew what was up, but the two refused to spit it out, constantly replying that they weren’t sure where Arthur was. It was only by nightfall that Matthew finally seemed to relent, telling Alfred that Arthur might have had to head home for a family emergency. Little did Alfred know that Matthew had only said it in the hopes of giving Alfred some peace of mind.

Armed with his new nugget of information, Alfred marched right up to the Beta dorm’s RA’s room, pounding loudly on the door. He didn’t care if it was past visiting hours, and that it was almost midnight; He needed to make sure that Arthur was okay, and he honestly didn’t care if it would inconvenience anyone. Right now, Arthur was his number one priority.

Faced with the Alpha who had been bugging him non-stop about Arthur just the day before, the sleepy RA quickly relented, handing over Arthur’s home contact details to Alfred. The Beta held no hopes of being able to get Alfred out of his room without the giving the Alpha the information he was seeking. All he wanted to do was to continue on with his beauty rest.

With his prize of an address and phone number in hand, Alfred sprinted to his room, shut the door, and wasted no time in punching in the scrawled numbers into his phone. He hadn’t even thought of what to say yet, but what did it matter? Alfred was a smart Alpha, society’s cream of the crop. He could handle anything, right? And now, all he cared about was finding out where Arthur was, and if the Beta was doing okay.

The dial tone seemed to go on for an eternity before the call finally connected with a click.

“Hello?” A lady’s gentle voice answered the phone.

“Hello Ma’am! I’m Arthur’s umm… Friend! The name’s Alfred F. Jones!”

“Yes, this is Arthur’s mother speaking. What can I help you with?” The lady on the line sounded concerned and confused.

Alfred started to get flustered. This lady was Arthur’s mother. If everything went well, this woman would end up being his future mother-in-law! What should he do? What if she thought he was a weirdo? Damnit! He had already spilled his name and everything. He should have just pretended to be someone else.

“Hello?” The voice came again, shaking Alfred out of his whirlwind of thoughts.

“Oh! Yes! I wanted to find out, is Arthur home? I really need to talk to him.”

“Sorry?”

“I just need to talk to him, you know. Make sure he’s okay and everything.” Alfred could feel that he was beginning to ramble on, but like a crashing car, his nervousness made him unable to pull on the breaks. “After all that he’s been through, with the attempted rape and all, I just need to make sure he’s doing fine and everything. That he’s okay with me and all that. Everyone’s worried about him, you know? And I like him a lot too, so I’m super worried…”

“Are you perhaps the Alfred F. Jones who is the heir to Centraltown National Bank?” A trepid voice cut off Alfred and his nonsensical chattering. “An Alpha?” Arthur’s mother’s voice lowered into a whisper.

“Uh. Yes?” Alfred answered, dumbfounded.

“My son is not here. He should still be at school. Goodbye.” The phone was slammed down in Alfred’s ear.

\---

Alfred had been confused by the reaction that he had gotten from Arthur’s mother, but didn’t bother putting too much thought into it. She was probably angry that Alfred had called so late, only to be forced to listen to him prattle on. Since she appeared to have heard of Alfred before, he could only hope that she would not complain about the call to his parents.

Nevertheless, Alfred still hadn’t managed to find Arthur. Now that Alfred had determined that Arthur had not returned to his hometown, he needed to find a new lead.

In the morning, Francis had fed Alfred the same cock-and-bull story that Matthew had. Alfred was growing weary of all the weak excuses, when a fantastic idea suddenly hit him. Zoning in on the weakest link, Alfred sauntered over to Francis as the lone Beta walked in-between classes through the courtyard.

“Hey Francis, do you happen to know where Arthur is today?” Alfred smiled his sweetest smile at the French Beta.

“Oh. Non, mon ami. I already told you that this morning!” Francis was shifting nervously. Alfred was certain that Francis knew what was going on. Good. Now it was time to weaken his prey.

“Oh come on Francis. You and I both know that you do know everything. What’s the harm in telling me? I’m just really worried, you know? Isn’t there anything I can do to change your mind? Why don’t you just tell me? I just want to make sure that he’s safe.” Alfred pleaded.

“Non non. My lips are sealed. But I can assure you that he’s safe and sound.” Francis had fallen for Alfred’s trap.

“Aha! I knew you knew what was happening! Oh god, Francis, you’d better be ready to spill right this instance!”

“N-non! I shall never say it!”

“You know…” Alfred had a haughty look on his face. Francis just gulped loudly.

“If you just-so-happen to tell me what happened to Arthur, I may just-so-happen to acknowledge your relationship with my brother.” Alfred looked as if he was deep in thought.

“No one else would have to know a thing.” Alfred lowered his voice to a whisper.

Francis’s breath hitched, before he suddenly started spilling all of the sacred information with renewed gusto.

\---

When Alfred heard that the guy he was in love with was in heat, his instincts to mate threatened to take over. He felt a flutter of excitement in his loins. However, when he recalled learning in class that Betas were only capable of going into heat when they shared a deep love connection with another individual, Alfred suddenly started to see red. Who was the bastard who was about to take away the very person he had been eying for so long?

“This means… Arthur is in heat over someone. Someone else!” Alfred’s voice dropped dangerously low, almost rumbling into a growl.

“Tell me who he is. I’ll bloody rip him to shreds.” The steely glint in Alfred’s eyes betrayed his seemingly calm demeanour.

“Hey, hey! Alfred, stop this right now!” Francis had good reason to be panicking. Who knew what the emotionally unstable Alpha would do in this state.

“He’s in heat over you, you nincompoop!”

“W-Wha? What do you mean, Francis?”

“What do I mean? WHAT DO I MEAN? I mean, apparently, he won’t stop calling out for you!” Francis shook his head. Matthew was so going to kill him for spilling everything, but he could not just watch as his friend went bat-shit crazy.

“He’s still in the Omega dorm, isn’t he?”

Upon seeing Francis nod once in response, Alfred muttered a quick thanks, before breaking into a sprint. However, he was soon stopped by a firm grip on his collar.

“Hold on, mon ami. I’m pretty sure it would be a terrible idea for you to head over there right now. At the moment, both you and Arthur would only be able to think with your… Ahem.” Francis gestured to Alfred’s nether regions.

Snapping out of his haze of lust, Alfred slumped onto the floor while whining to his friend. “Then what should I do? You’re right. I just want him so badly right now; I can’t imagine what poor Artie’s been going through these past few days. I just want him to not have to suffer. My instincts are just screaming at me to go and comfort him.”

“But you would want your first time to be special, no, mon ami? Not just a lust-fueled frenzy in the heat of the moment?” Alfred nodded his head vigorously. “Then how about I, your dearest future brother-in-law, help you arrange for little trade?”

Alfred gulped at the scheming smile Francis was wearing on his face.

\---

Just as Arthur came down from another one of his orgasmic highs, he heard a knock on the room door.

“Arthur? Are you free right now?” He heard the soft voice of his friend Matthew calling out to him.

“Yeah Matthew, it’s okay. You can come in.” Arthur responded, while pulling up the comforter, and whatever loose clothing he had lying around onto his body. It was a feeble attempt of his to protect every last bit of modesty he had remaining. Through this heat experience, Arthur had discovered that Omegas had no qualms about walking into a room with another individual in heat. This was just a regular occurrence to them. However, Arthur, having grown up as a Beta who was taught that Betas almost never went into heat, he was not used to the sudden lack of privacy he had been receiving in the past few days.

But this visit from Matthew was different from the rest. The moment the door opened, Arthur began mewling once more. He was hit by a sudden blast of an Alpha’s scent. It was Alfred’s scent.

Approaching the writhing boy on the bed, Matthew dropped his brother’s brown bomber jacket into the arms of the eager Beta, who instantly began to nuzzle and grind against the well-worn garment. Gently pushing Arthur’s arm off the green sweater trapped beneath the Beta, Matthew quickly put the item into a fresh bag.

“Transaction complete.” Matthew smiled to himself, before heading out the door, leaving the Beta male to enjoy his new prize.

\---

After Alfred was done with his classes on Friday, he rushed back to his dorm room. Upon practically kicking open the door to his single-person dorm room, Alfred was hit by the tantalizing scent of Arthur’s heat. Smiling at Francis’s note taped to the moss-green sweater, he ripped it off the scrap of paper before bringing the soft garment to his face and inhaling deeply. Glancing down at his food and water supplies by the side of his bed, Alfred nuzzled his face deeper into the sweater’s knitted folds, and worked to free his aching cock. Alfred licked his lips in excitement. This was going to be an awesome weekend. He could tell.

\---

On Tuesday morning, Arthur finally awoke to find that all his feelings of want and lust had been replaced by the burden of guilt and shame. He, a Beta, had gone into heat for some strange reason, and had just spent the week jerking off to his friend, Alfred. First of all, he couldn’t even begin to fathom how he had managed to trigger a heat spell. He remembered learning in Beta school that it was mighty rare for a Beta to go into heat, though it was a possibility that existed. Since it was such a rare occurrence, Arthur hadn’t paid much attention to that bit of information, thinking that it would never be applicable to him. He couldn’t for the life of him remember the causes of Beta heats, but he did remember that it had something to do with love and emotions. Had he been so infatuated with Alfred that he had just become insanely horny for the man? What would Alfred think? Staring down at the soiled bomber jacket lying on his bed, it was apparent to Arthur that the Alpha had found out about his peculiar condition. The past week’s events had also made it impossible for Arthur to deny his own feelings towards Alfred. He was hopelessly in love with the silly blond Alpha.

Had Alfred known that Arthur had been screaming out for him the past seven days? Had the Alpha only given Arthur the jacket out of friendship, knowing that Arthur didn’t have a mate, and that he was the closest Alpha friend Arthur had on campus? How would Alfred react upon finding out that Arthur had turned so shameless because of him? Because of the man who was only supposed to be his friend? He was only a Beta, a far cry from Alfred, who had been born into the peak of society. Would Alfred be disgusted by his feelings? Would he look down on Arthur for having the hots for someone so far beyond his reach? Would he feel betrayed? Arthur was supposed to be a friend. A mere acquaintance. It was not normal for Betas to be so familiar with an Alpha, and it was completely ludicrous for Arthur to harbor any feelings for Alfred.

Before Arthur could take his thoughts any further, a series of soft knocks on the bedroom door alerted him to the presence of his two Omega friends.

“Arthur, how are you feeling now?” Feliciano cooed through the door, while Matthew began to crack open the door to take a peek.

“I’m fine guys, really.” Arthur tried to assure his friends. But it was strange. Why was his voice trembling? Try as he might, he could not stop his voice from cracking at the seams.

“No you’re not!” Both Matthew and Feliciano had made their way over to Arthur, wiping away the tears that Arthur hadn’t even noticed were falling from his large green eyes.

“It’s okay, Arthur. Just tell us what’s wrong.” Arthur finally broke down, sobbing loudly, as he confided in his two best friends.

\---

When Arthur had finally managed to calm down, Matthew whipped out his phone and walked out the door. Not long after, the bedroom door was thrown open with a loud bang, revealing a very frantic-looking Alfred. From behind the tall Alpha, Matthew’s voice rang out.

“Al, I think you should probably explain everything to him yourself.”

Arthur’s heart started up again, pounding a hundred miles a minute. He was gripped with fear as Alfred slowly approached him. What was Alfred going to explain? How they shouldn’t be friends anymore? That Arthur should not have had dirty thoughts about Alfred? That it was all Arthur’s fault that their pure relationship had been soiled? Ruined beyond repair?

But then, Alfred did the unexpected. Standing in front of the bed, where Arthur was sitting draped in sheets, Alfred pulled him into a fierce hug. “I missed you so much, Arthur.”

Arthur just sat there, shell-shocked. He had not been expecting that reaction at all.

“But… But it’s my faul-” Arthur began, but was stunned into silence when Alfred drew back and picked up Arthur’s hand, stroking it gently.

“It’s not your fault that this happened, Arthur. It’s your fault as much as it is mine. Betas can only go into heat if they are exposed to the pheromones of an Alpha who is truly in love with them, and if they love the Alpha back in return.” Alfred looked directly into Arthur’s watery, green eyes. “I love you, Arthur.”

The gears in Arthur’s head began turning once more, as Alfred pulled him into another crushing hug.

“Alfred, are you sure? I mean, if you’re doing this out of pity…” Arthur finally began responding in a timid voice.

Alfred once again pulled back, held Arthur’s face in his hands, and looked him in the eye. “Arthur Kirkland. Do I look like the kind of man who would confess to someone out of pity to you?” Alfred’s words finally began to sink in, and Arthur shook his head.

“And do you remember me telling you how I would only wait for my one true love to start a family?” Arthur nodded as he recalled Alfred’s words from his memory bank.

“Arthur Kirkland, I am a hundred percent certain that you are my soulmate; My one true love; So I only ask you this. Do you love me?”

Fresh tears welled up in Arthur’s eyes, and he nodded, lost in Alfred’s deep blue orbs. This was his and Alfred’s moment. No one else could intrude. Even the happy squealing of Matthew and Feliciano were lost on deaf ears. Alfred quickly pulled Arthur into a chaste kiss.

Wrought up in their emotions, the couple continued to kiss and nuzzle each other, basking in the joys of their mutual love. It was only then that the leftover smells of Arthur’s slick, come, and heat, hit Alfred’s groin full force.

Their chaste kisses grew deeper as Alfred licked Arthur’s lips, begging for entry. Their tongues began a hot and sultry dance in the name of exploration, and Alfred’s wandering hands slowly began to free Arthur’s body from the tightening confines of his restrictive sheets. Alfred hummed in satisfaction when Arthur began to thread his fingers through Alfred’s gold locks, letting out a soft groan as the Alpha’s hand grazed over his pert nipple. With his passion ignited, he began ghosting his mouth over Arthur’s sensitive neck, when he heard someone clearing their throat behind him.

Realizing that they still had an audience, Alfred and Arthur sheepishly turned to look at the two spectating Omegas.

Matthew cleared his throat again. “Now, I know you two are eager to get all hot and heavy and everything, but I think that maybe we should let Arthur get cleaned up. We do have a statistics class to get to, you know?”

Having delivered his spiel, Matthew’s face was lit aflame as he dragged Feliciano out of the room, the latter letting out a loud “Vee~”

Alfred and Arthur just turned back to one another before bursting into laughter.


End file.
